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In the Sega's Genesis and Saturn days, World Series Baseball was the unquestionable king of baseball games. For some unknown reason, though, it lost the magic. The Dreamcast version was, well, crap -- which left many players wondering what happened to the franchise that they had known and loved. Thankfully, Blue Shift got behind the reins of the Xbox version last year and reworked the game into something that was worthy of the World Series Baseball title. It may have been a little rough in the presentation, but it played well and it was enough to catch the attention of the old fans and some new players.

This year's iteration of the game faces some serious competition by way of EA's revamped and renamed baseball franchise -- MVP Baseball 2003 and 3DO's High Heat -- but Blue Shift hasn't been resting on its laurels. World Series Baseball 2K3 is an improvement over 2K2 that is sure to please anyone looking for a solid game of ball.

The first thing players are sure to notice is the incorporation of the ESPN license. While it doesn't have a direct impact on gameplay it is used to great effect for the game's presentation. Whereas last year's game looked like, well a video game, World Series Baseball 2K3 looks like a game broadcast over the cable sports network complete with action replays and logo-laden scoreboards.

Visually, World Series Baseball 2K3 is slick. Wrinkles in a player's uniform are visible and the stadiums are rendered in exquisite detail. All of the current league stadiums are here, along with five historic ballparks -- Crosley Field, Forbes Field, Griffith Stadium, the Polo Grounds, and Shibe Park. A Cooperstown Legends team is also in the game, featuring some of the best players to ever grace the diamond.

Despite the extreme amount of care that went into the little details, Blue Shift appears to have overlooked the player animations. What's here is more than workable and quite varied, though the majority of the player movements look unnatural. Instead of moving around in a lithe manner, the virtual superstars play the game in an eerily artificial way. It is a minor point that will no doubt be corrected in next year's project -- but for now, it detracts.

Play Ball

Gameplay is solid, with a superb batting interface. The zone display used in last year's game makes a return with each batter having hot and cold zones within the strike zone. Swinging at a ball in your hot zone has a better chance of making a solid connection, while a swipe at a ball in your cold zone has a good chance of being a strike or a foul. Sometimes it is better to take the called strike instead of swinging at an unfavorable pitch.

You can see where your batter's sweet spot is at thanks to an onscreen cursor. Move this cursor to the location of the ball when you take your swing in order to gain better control of the direction and type of hit. A line drive between first and second base is always preferable to a pop fly over center field.

The pitching interface is easy to use, if slightly limited. You begin by choosing your pitch from an onscreen display, then use the left analog stick to pick your target and hit the A button once more to fire off your fastball. World Series Baseball 2K3 gives you the option of leaving the targeting cursor up on the screen or playing without an indicator. In the latter case you can choose your target by feel thanks to the vibration function.

When the left analog stick is in the neutral position the ball is targeted dead center over the plate. By moving the stick you also move the invisible targeting cursor. Move near the edge of the strike zone and the controller will start to vibrate, letting you know that you are on the verge of throwing one outside the zone. It is a feature that works nicely. For those keeping score, EA's MVP Baseball 2003 does exactly the same thing.